Random Reviews:

Sunday, October 26, 2014

We are super excited to be bringing this back again, we hope you are as excited as we are. This year, Seeing Night Reviews and Ali's Bookshelf (Myself) will be doing a few things different. Each
blog will host a specific post about dystopian themed topics or
challenge they’d like their readers to do to enter their giveaways. Also this year, we are including something a bit different, an extra daily mission that bloggers can post on their blogs. They will be mini challenges and there will be another giveaway for you to enter if you do these challenges as well.

So as of right now we are looking for those amazing bloggers who would like to be a stop on this great tour. Each stop has to be based on a Dystopian genre book and must include some kind of giveaway. To see an example: CLICK HERE!

Rules:

You
must think of your discussion theme or challenge you would like on your
own. I will add you to the list once I
receive the form.

Example: word scrabble, tower challenge (Already being done), anything that the blogger would have a blast in challenging the readers.

Giveaways should be of a dystopian novel of either the bloggers topic or any dystopian novel of their choice.

Giveaways can be books or book related items

To Sign Up: CLICK HEREAlso we have two great buttons this year, please share this one so everyone can see. If you are participating in the tour or just want to do the challenges. We would love to see the buttons on blogs, Facebook, Twitter, etc.

“I’m sorry,” she apologized. “I wouldn’t make you do it if I
didn’t think it was necessary, but honey, I know you can do better.”

That was on rewrite #3 of a crucial scene in my second
novel, ANABEL DIVIDED. I finally got her approval in rewrite #4. And I only
hated her slightly.

I am fortunate that I have a best friend who is also rather
blunt and will tell me when my writing isn’t up to par. She expects the best of
me, and if I don’t deliver, she lets me have it. I have found that as I write
more and more, I need more peer reviews because different people notice
different things. Even before I hand my completed manuscript over to my editor,
I definitely want grammar/content mistakes pointed out to me. I also want to
hear the criticisms while I have a chance to rewrite a story—because if people
who know you notice something’s wrong, then the Internet is always happy to
criticize.

So how do you find a good Critique Buddy?Here’s how I found some of mine:

1.Twitter.
I know, I know, it probably sounds obvious, but Twitter is how everything
happened for me. It’s how I met a fellow author who introduced me to my
publisher. But it didn’t happen overnight—I had to spend time networking and
tweeting and “meeting” people before I settled into a circle of writer friends.
Each of them brings something different to the table, and their input is
invaluable.

2.Facebook.
There are so many writer’s groups on Facebook, and it’s sometimes hard to
navigate which ones are just venues of self-promotion and which ones are
valuable, but there are a few good ones out there with people who are searching
for someone to give them feedback.

3.Local
libraries.I live in Northern
Virginia, and there is a local writer’s group that meets at the library once a
month. For an introvert like me, going to something like this is generally my
worst nightmare, but sometimes putting yourself out there in that way can give
you a fresh perspective on your manuscript.

Above all, when you find a critique partner, you want
someone who is willing to give you honest feedback and tell it to you straight.
Because sometimes, some scenes in your book are going to be so important that
they have to be written again. And again. And AGAIN. Until they meet
expectations.

Anabel Martin thought that the resolution of her father's murder would bring a resolution to her problems. After all, she was starting life over in a new place, with new friends, and new adventures, focusing on attending college and raising her daughter free from the distractions of Washington, DC. She was ready to move on. But a trip back to the District for Meghan's wedding stirs up old feelings and brings new life to old relationships. Matt is cold and distant, while Jared is caring and attentive. A woman from Matt's past, a bold public flirtation, and Anabel's desire to be truly loved lead her to a crossroads...and her final decision leaves her with more questions than answers.

Amanda Romine Lynch is a writer, editor, and blogger who grew up in Florida knowing she belonged somewhere else. She now lives in the DC Metro Area with her husband and three amazing little boys. She is the Eco-Friendly/Green Living Contributor over at the Prime Parents’ Club and strives to live earth friendly in a world of disposable diapers. When not writing about Anabel and Jared or chasing around a curly-haired boy, she cheers for the Gators (in all kinds of weather) and occasionally remembers to sleep.

So I missed posting yesterday's image so I'm posting it with today's. Day 17 and 18 were fun images to take and I'm happy to share them with you. One of my answers though shouldn't surprise you at all. I've talked about it enough for you all to know.

Day 17: Your favorite quote from your favorite book (This was hard to pick from because I have so many favorite books and quotes.)

Day 18: A Book That Disappointed You! (This is the one that shouldn't surprise you)

Friday, October 17, 2014

The Wonderfully Wicked Read-a-Thon starts today! I love reading
during a read-a-thon mainly because of how much reading I actually do
during them. It's a great way for me to get caught up. So below you
will find what I plan on reading during this read-a-thon and a few
extra's so I have some wiggle room on what I read.

Wednesday, October 15, 2014

Today I have a special edition of my Take a Break Watch This Vid post. The book trailer I'm going to be sharing with you today is one that was released today. Enjoy.

I'm super excited to share this book trailer with you and to tell you about this book as well. I haven't read it but it sounds amazing and I will be reading it as soon as I can get my hands on it.

Invisible Wingsby Janell Rhiannon

Publication date: January 8th 2014Genres: Paranormal, Young Adult

Life seldom unfolds the way you expect. Despite our best efforts, it can wind up in a tangled mess. We lose hope. Faith fades. And then suddenly, in the midst of despair, a door opens, an answer is given, or a new path is cleared because we’re not alone…sometimes angels walk among us.
Arabella’s mother already thinks she’s a little crazy, so when a mysterious Presence fills her with a blinding light, she keeps it to herself. She’s given a heartbreaking mission. She spends her days among her fellow classmates, listening to their secret prayers and waiting for the moment of intervention.
Arabella understands that life is messy, complicated, and beautiful. The way she guides her fellow classmates will ultimately surprise you.
Love emerges from the mess. Hope emerges from the chaos. Faith emerges from the strength to endure.
12 destinies
12 twilights
12 lives that will never be the same

Janell has been writing since she was in grade school. In high school, her 9th grade English teacher suggested she consider a career in writing. After a decade in college and a Master's degree in history, she settled into teaching.
Writing never stopped. Stories never stopped. READING fiction never stopped. Now, she writes and publishes on-line. Invisible Wings is her first YA novel, a compilation of short stories centered on teenage life triumphs and tragedies. She believes being a teenager is difficult and wrote Invisible Wings to let teens know they aren't alone. That they matter. That even though life is rough, they can still find beauty and love.
Beside the YA stories close to her heart, she adores Mythology and Fairy tales. Anything magical and mystical. And dragons. And gargoyles.
She currently lives in CA.
Visit her at Facebook @Janell Rhiannon Author. If you want to see what projects are in the works or find out more about the her, visit

I loved this book trailer, what did you all think? Did you like it as much as I did and if so what did you like about it?

(This post was part of a tour through Xpresso Book Tours, my opinions are my own and reflect my thoughts toward this book trailer. Thanks to Xpresso Book Tour for letting me be part of this release and also a huge thanks to this author as well.)

Synopsis:
Elle is a survivor.
Since the collapse of modern society, she's been living in the remains of downtown Hollywood, California, foraging for food and fighting for her life.
And then everything changes.
After she is forced out of her home, she heads north. What she finds is a group of bunker survivors, unlikely comrades, and the hope of a safe haven. Together, they journey toward the dregs of civilization, facing starvation, imprisonment and death.
They are alone, but they are ready.
Day Zero begins today.
Day Zero is a novella, the first installment in The Zero Trilogy, a novella series complementing the international bestselling Collapse Series.

Summer Lane is the author of the international bestselling Collapse Series, which includes State of Emergency, State of Chaos, State of Rebellion and State of Pursuit. The fifth installment, State of Alliance, is releasing January 2015. Summer is also the author of The Zero Trilogy and an upcoming survivalist/science fantasy series coming in 2015. She owns WB Publishing, Writing Belle Magazine, and is an accomplished creative writing teacher and journalist.
Summer lives in the Central Valley of California, where she spends her time writing, teaching, and writing some more. When she is not writing, she enjoys leisurely visits with friends at coffee shops, dates to the movies, hiking in the mountains and strolling on the beach.

Names are fun. One of the perks of writing fiction as a
primary job is that you get to play around with lots of names. Names should represent the personality of a
character, in my opinion, so I try to match my characters with appropriate
monikers. In Day Zero, my
protagonist’s name is Elle. It’s a somber, pretty name for a somber, pretty
girl. (A girl with attitude, mind you, but still!)

My favorite names in Day
Zero are Pix and Flash – twins, a brother and a sister. I don’t want to
give away anything, but I played around with a lot of names before settling on those two. Thanks to the Internet,
you can find names and their meanings far quicker than in the past. It’s better
to use Google than to slog through those dusty piles of baby-name books in your
mother’s attic.

Not that I’ve done that, but you get my point! Names should
be memorable, and I also think that there should be a fair variety of different
names in a book. For example, naming your characters James, John, Janice, Jenny
and Jared is what I’d call “alliterative overkill.” Mix up the names! Make them
fun, and most of all, make a character and their name instantly identifiable to
the reader.